Sandy Hooves
Sandy Hooves (aka: Santa Paws, Silver Horn, The Red Rimfrost) is a legendary figure typicaly associated with Celestiana who is said, in most forms, to grace the young of varying creatures gifts, but also serves as a sort of cultural representation of winter itself. Apperance Sandy Hooves apperance varies by the nation and culture the story is told in, and while he is typicaly a large, heavy-bodied Elk or other Cervid, others say he is a large-bodied, shaggy Canid or even a massive white-furred Bear. However, no matter the cultural depiction, he tends to be friendly, wide-set, and extremely protective of the safety of children. Depictions In Equestria, he is Sandy Hooves, a wide-bodied Cervid creature of undefined species, but always dark-coated, wears a large red suit,and has a large rack of antlers. He is said to have a great workshop in the north where he and his penguin helpers craft toys for good foals and fillies and give lumps of dull crystal to those who have been naughty. He is said to travel across the world during Hearts Warming's Eve with the help of his twelve Reindeer helpers in order to make it across it in time. Bears respect the power of a folk-figure known as the Polar Prince, who is said to protect hibernating cubs. Dispite the name, the entity is usualy seen as female. Within the Griffon Kingdoms, a snow-white griffon by the name of Hollywing is said to fly around every mountain peak and give each and every young griffon a small, colorful toy, but this has fallen into disuse since the kingdoms fracturing peace failed. . Northern Canid pups eagerly await the coming of''' Santa Paws', a large, shaggy dog who always arrives with toys and tasty treats. Surprisingly, the rituals surrounding him are more elaborate than those elsewere, and often involves a male volunteer fitting the discription getting into charecter before visiting a nearby community laden with personalized toys that were produced in secret beforehand, and who often stays for the entire celebration. Often, these do not last as long as one would expect, for there are gifts for the adults as well: alcoholic drinks are the midwinter's medicine for the hardworking members of the local packs. In Concordia, the story is far different. '''Silver Horn '''is said to be a massive Elk with a coat of silvery-white who, as apposed to bringing gifts, is said to grace yearlings with there Elemental Affinity as they sleep during the coldest day in winter. While he still has his Reindeer helpers, they are bound to each other by chains and are said to fly Silver Horn across Concordia to work off the debt they occured because of some great sin. Among the Omminari, a darker tale is told. The '''Red Rimfrost', as apposed to being a figure of peace, is ment to scare foals. Said to be a massive red-tinted Windago-like Elk, he rides with a lesser herd of fellow cervid ice spirits and chills the breath of disobedent foals and fillies. In the tales that breach into horror, he is also known to turn especialy unweildy children into icy statues and force him to work in his palace of black frost far away from any settlement. Trivia *It is a common joke amongst those who know of them to claim that one of the Ires', '''if not Aschere himself, is Sandy Hooves, Silver Horn, or the Red Rimfrost. However, to some surprise and amusment, Aschere himself did not state that he was ''not when asked by a inquisitive Elk fawn, only replying that "Some things in this world are more real than they appear." *While it is generaly accepted amongst adults that there is no such thing as a Sandy Hooves, there are still regular reports of entities that fit the local discription every year appearing in places were they could not logicly be. *The Pengins, when asked, have denied creating toys for small foals each year. *As have the Cherufe, according to one of the few documents said to have there responses on paper. *Some lesser known variations on the myth exist elsewhere, but have either been stamped out over the centuries or are simply not practiced outside of the most isolated of areas. Category:Lore